Rollers for hollow legged furniture



March 17, 1959 RF. LACKINGER ROLLERS FOR HOLLOW LEGGED FURNITURE FiledJuly 27, 1956 .e R m W 6 a M w 2 2 5 M. M N 3 \M UJ 4 T J a M u I 3 m/r:!\ 6 7 m =1 1 at: rm

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nited This invention relates and more specifically to ture.

One object of this invention is to provide a roller for hollow leggedfurniture such as the tubular leg of a dinette chair. This rollerpermits the chair to be moved across the floor or under the table withvery little effort. type which is widely used at the present tlme, 1sconstructed of steel tubing of approximately inch and one half indiameter, the exis chrome plated to enhance its appeargenerally torollers for furniture rollers for hollow legged furniterior of whichance.

Various types of caps have been used on the bottoms of tubular chairlegs, none of which are very satisfactory. Some caps are made of metalso that the chair may be more easily moved, others are made of hardplastic or rubber so that the chair legs will not mar the finishedsurface of the floor. Neither of these caps allow the chair to be movedalong the surface of the floor without being dragged or lifted.

The roller comprising this invention is of monounit construction and iscompletely enclosed within the tubular leg of the chair tion of rollerprotruding. This invention may be applied to any type of hollow leggedchair of either wood or metal construction.

Another object of this invention is the provision of rollers forfurniture legs which need no special adapters on the ends of the legs toenclose the rollers. Special adapters have been designed to fit over theends of chair legs to house the rollers and their retracting mechanism.This invention precludes the use of any type of adapter on the end of afurniture leg thus eliminating the unsightly oversized and heavy feet.

A further object of this invention is that the rollers comprising thisinvention may be adapted to any type of wooden or tubular leggedfurniture without changing the length or the size of the legs as wouldbe necessary with the adapter type of retractable roller.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following description andclaim.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification butwithout limiting the invention or claims thereto, certain practicalembodiments of the invention wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of the structure comprising thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical to that shown in Fig. 1.

section taken at right angles Patent Fig. 3 is a view in horizontalsection through the roller shaft.

Fig. 4 is a prospective exploded view of the parts making up thisinvention.

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section showing the roller cap mountedwithin a wooden furniture leg.

Referring to Fig. 1 through 4 the furniture roller consists of anannular cap 1 with a bottom 2 and a slot 3 in the center thereof.Upstanding Walls 4 surround the perimeter of the bottom 2 of the cap.Fastened on either side of the slot 3 are the outwardly extending feet 5of the U-shaped member 6 of channel cross-section. One side of theU-shaped member 6 has a shaft mounting hole 7. A U-shaped slide member 8slidably fits between the inturned flanges of the U-shaped member 6 andis guided thereby. The slide member 8 has aligned holes 9 in its legs 10for receiving the shaft 11 which is assembled through the shaft mountinghole 7. A roller 12 is journaled on the shaft 11 in the slide 8 andprotrudes through the slot 3 of the cap 1. The slide 8 is limited in itstravel by the engagment of the legs 10 with the bottom 2 of the cap asshown at 13. A spring 14 is partially compressed between the top 15 ofthe U-shaped channel member 6 and the top 16 of the slide member 8. Theinturned flanges of the top 15 hold the spring member 14 in place. Theslide 8 is biased by the spring 14 to engage the legs 10 with the bottom2 of the cap as shown at 13 and thus the roller 12 is extended throughthe slot 3. The pressure of the spring 14 is selected to permit theroller 12 to remain extended when no pressure is applied to thefurniture leg except the weight of the furniture itself.

When the furniture is occupied and additional pres sure is applied tothe legs thereof, the roller 12 and the slide member 8 are forced backinto the U-shaped member 6 with the shaft 11 at a point below themounting hole 7. Thus further retraction of the roller 12 is necessaryto mount or remove the shaft 11 from the roller 12 and the slide member8.

Referring to Fig. 5 which discloses the same structure as Fig. 2 exceptthat the cap 1 is press fitted into the hole 19 of the hollow woodenfurniture leg 20.

I claim:

A roller for furniture having a U-shaped frame closed at one end andsecured to a cap with a spring and a slide mounted therein and carryinga shaft on which a roller is mounted to extend through an opening in thecap to engage the floor, characterized by means defining a shaftmounting hole in one side of said U-shaped frame to insert said shaftinto said slide and through said roller when said spring is compressedby movement of the roller inwardly of said cap, said U-shaped frame hasopposed inturned flanges to form a channel that retains and guides saidslide and spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS498,413 Tobey May 30, 1893 726,447 McDonnell Apr. 28, 1903 FOREIGNPATENTS 17,403 Great Britain Aug. 11, 1903

